Several species of birds rare to mid-Michigan have recently started popping up in Isabella County.

Stan Lilley, an avid bird watcher who recently retired as the executive director of the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy, is always searching for new birds and was contacted about three rare sightings in the last month.

Lilley said the excitement among local bird watchers is very high.

“For Isabella County, this has been a pretty good spring,” he said. “These are all firsts for this county for me. I’m out bird watching five or six days a week for several hours a day. I’m pretty hooked on it.”

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On May 4, Lilley was contacted by Ryan Dziedzic, of Oil City, who spotted a lark sparrow at Chipp-a-Waters Park. Lilley said the sparrow made a brief appearance for one day and believes it is the first one ever reported in Isabella County.

Two weeks later, a loggerhead shrike was discovered by Randy Kursinsky, of Midland, while he was participating in the Chippewa Valley Audubon Club spring migration count. Lilley saw it for himself on May 22 and said there have been two spotted and believes they could be mating.

1986 was the last time a loggerhead shrike was spotted in Isabella County.

On June 5, a pacific loon was sighted at Littlefield Lake and posted on Facebook by someone who thought it was a baby common loon. Lilley saw the post and knew it was something much rarer.

“I immediately recognized it as a pacific loon and rushed over to Littlefield Lake to photograph it,” he said. “I really think I first saw it in mid-May while scouting for the May 20-21 spring migration count, but didn’t see it well enough to be sure.”

Like the lark sparrow, Lilley thinks this was the first ever recorded sighting of a pacific loon in Isabella County.

The only other rare bird Lilley could remember seeing in recent memory was a blue heron six years ago and said whooping cranes also make appearances every now and then.

He said these birds usually migrate along the coast this time of year and don’t normally fly through mid-Michigan.

“What tends to happen is most of the migrants that come up to Michigan go along the Great Lakes shoreline, so we tend not to see that many rare birds here in Isabella County,” he said. “So when we get three like this that are highly unusual, it’s very exciting.”

While Lilly acknowledges that he is not a scientist, he said the reason for the unexpected sightings could be due to advances in technology or weather change.

“On the one hand I would say there are a lot more bird watchers around and there’s a lot better networks for sighting than there used to be,” he said. “Also, who knows, but it could be climate change that brings the arrival of some of these birds too.”

The 67-year-old Army veteran who worked 12 years for the watershed conservancy said he is encouraged by the unexpected visitors and is keeping his eyes peeled for more rare birds.

“I’m just enjoying the retired life and have been going out and chasing birds and butterflies whenever I get the chance,” he said. “I just think it’s a manifestation of the hunter instinct that most of us have. The nice thing about bird watching is you aren’t limited by any of the seasons, any bag limits or licenses. You can just go out there and enjoy them all the time.”